1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shoes generally and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a novel sole for shoes which includes an integral reversible air pump.
2. Background Art
Shoes typically enclose the feet of a wearer and are typically rather well sealed around the feet, thus preventing the ingress and/or egress of any substantial quantity of air. Some types of athletic shoes include grommet-like openings through the side thereof intended to provide some degree of ventilation; however, the degree of ventilation is limited by the fact that there is nothing that is actually forcing a substantial quantity of air through the openings.
The lack of adequate ventilation in most shoes leads to the trapping of heat and moisture, a very welcome environment for the growth of organisms and odors which can be offensive to other persons and, perhaps, to the wearer also. A variety of powders and sprays have been developed to combat the growth of organisms and odors; however, the useful life of a single application thereof is limited and some persons have skin reactions thereto.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,575, issued Jun. 25, 1991, to Lakic, there is described an inflatable inner sole which is formed with upper and lower membranes scaled around the peripheral edges thereof to create a sealed hollow interior. A plurality of discontinuous seams are formed between the upper and lower membranes to create a plurality of interconnected passageways in the hollow interior. A pump is provided in the heel portion of the inner sole to inflate the inner sole as a wearer walks. A plurality of vertical apertures are formed through the discontinuous seams so that air will flow back and forth between the interior of the shoe above and below the inner sole. In one embodiment, a blower may be provided in the same manner as the pump in the heel portion to blow fresh air underneath the inner sole and up through the apertures.
No known shoe has therein means to selectively introduce air into the shoe or expel air therefrom.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a ventilated shoe, which shoe includes means to selectively pump air into the shoe or expel air therefrom.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a shoe which is comfortable.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide means for effecting such ventilation which can be economically and easily incorporated into the shoe at the time of manufacture.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.